Thank you to all members who took the time to write and/or call legislators and the Governor. Here are the results on key bills. For a complete listing of bills tracked by CRPA please refer to the Bill Status Update on the CRPA website at www.crpa.org.

SB 610 requires that applicants for a license to carry a concealed handgun will not be required to pay for any training courses prior to a determination of good cause being made. The bill will also provide that no applicant will be required to obtain liability insurance as a condition of the license. In addition, the licensing authority must notify the applicant if the request for a license was denied and shall state the reason from the department’s published policy as to why the license was denied.

VETOED: SB 427 – Ammunition Registration (CRPA Position: Oppose)

SB 427 would have required registration of handgun ammunition and some rifle cartridges, including .22 rimfire and would have stop online and mail order purchase for delivery to your home or business. For example, you would not have been able to purchase handgun ammunition and some rifle ammunition online or by mail from Midsouth or BassPro Shops for delivery to your home or business. It also would have required vendors to obtain a local license to sell ammunition.

AB 809 was reintroduced this year by Assembly Member Feuer in an attempt to require registration of all rifles and shotguns purchased on or after January 1, 2014. This is another form of AB 1810 which you may recall was defeated last year.

SB 819 will allow the state Department of Justice (DOJ) to raid the DROS and take “excess” money to pay for local enforcement of laws related to firearms possession. The primary purpose of the DROS fee paid by every firearms purchaser is to fund the purchaser background checks performed by the Department of Justice. DROS fund fees are a fee for service and should be used for their intended purpose: background checks. The concern is that the DROS fund will be depleted and soon require an increased DROS fee for all firearms purchase. Note: A lawsuit has been filed by CRPA and NRA challenging the illegal use of DROS by DOJ.

AB 144 authored by Assembly Member Portantino is a remake of last year’s AB 1934. AB 1934 was introduced by Assembly Member Saldana and to the relief of firearms owners was defeated on the last night of the legislative session. AB 144 will prohibit the open carry of an unloaded handgun in most public places. It leaves no option for self-protection especially in counties where it is impossible to obtain a license to carry a concealed handgun.